Kindle
$4.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$20.99
Paperback
$11.99
$20.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery May 20 - 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery May 15 - 17
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days
$$20.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$20.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

M.L. Blackbird
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Wish Too Dark And Kind Hardcover – October 29, 2021

by M.L. Blackbird (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$20.99","priceAmount":20.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"20","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"UvkEwBniTaqgE4TjxEW1tF%2B5aJ1DJkrr4ZWwGurqmxa5Tun0Mv0Q6bqvivd21n2BuWRwhRejuJkFldKr%2B7wV42ypEKKlVYV6cK08JPB164%2FApra34uoVmMggKUgKqNBKUwDBKuC4VqyxRwq8RCVTQA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Among the immortals that inhabit our world, Arnaud Demeure is known as the man who can fulfill your one true wish or who can also conjure your worst nightmares.

Eight invitations are sent to eight immortals, and when Arnaud Demeure hosts a party, no one refuses his request. Why have they been summoned? Is it for a celebration or does a sinister fate await them? After all, in the ways of Magick, a party can also be a ritual to end the world.

As the mystery deepens, the attendees must overcome their personal grudges to unravel the threads of Demeure's grand plan that has been centuries in the making. But, with one of the guests secretly working with their host to sabotage the group's every move, it seems impossible to look behind the curtain to learn Demeure's true intentions.

With each guest hiding dark secrets and darker intentions, will they be able to uncover Demeure's mysterious motives or will the party prove to be the deadly nightmare that they each fear?

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 29, 2021
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.15 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1737019221
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1737019220
  7. See all details
Next page
All the Little Raindrops: A Novel
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

From the Publisher

"A chilling epic of the occult." - Booklife by Publishers Weekly
"M.L. Blackbird is a genius storyteller." - Readers' Favorite
"A will-written, conceptually dense fantasy that's demanding in its details." - Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Review

M.L. Blackbird is a genius storyteller. - Readers' Favorite

M.L. Blackbird has a unique approach. - Readers' Favorite

The murder mystery dinner party is one of my favorite staples of the detective genre, and to see someone take the format and the style of such a story and instead apply it to a tense urban fantasy tale makes me kick myself for not thinking of such an arrangement earlier. - Readers' Favorite

A chilling epic of the occult, with satisfying character depth and a cliffhanger ending. - Booklife by Publishers Weekly

A well-written, conceptually dense fantasy that's demanding in its details. - Kirkus

M.L. Blackbird's ambitious dark fantasy A WISH TOO DARK AND KIND has a strong voice and a provocative structure. - IndieReader

From the Author

A Wish Too Dark And Kind is my first novel, and it is a work of passion, love, and hard work. I still remember the long days passed studying the details of the European occult traditions that provide the skeleton to the world-building, and all the work to get that out of my head and into the page. It has been five years of studying for it, writing it, and honing it. While so much has changed, this story has remained a constant.
 
The novel follows the path of eight party guests who become embroiled in a dangerous battleground of sacrifices, immortality, magic, and deceit. With this novel I wanted to tell two stories, one about connections and the other about isolation, so the book runs along two plotlines. The first, in modern times, is the story of Alex and the other guests trying to understand the meaning behind the party they've been invited to and what the intentions of their host, Arnaud Demeure, are. The second is narrated through documents, notes, and letters scattered throughout the book; it tells the story of Demeure, how he came to be who he is, and what binds him and his guests in the circle at the foundation of a sacrificial ritual.
 
You'll like if you enjoy dense mythologies, realistic magic systems, mystical/horror atmospheres, raw fights, high pace, and dark gothic settings. As for every book, I don't think this would appeal to everyone. For example, if you immediately associate Urban Fantasy to Romance, this will not be the book for you. If likeable characters are a must, you might want to avoid this book too, as most of the characters are gray - some downright dark - and you'll see the good guys do pretty terrible things in here. Finally, the non-linear progression of the plot, the many points of view, and the entanglement of two storylines might annoy some readers.
 
All in all, I wanted to write a book I'd enjoy reading. I think I did it, but at this point, it might be more important to know what you think about it.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little Blackbird LLC (October 29, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1737019221
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1737019220
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.37 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.15 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
M.L. Blackbird

M.L. Blackbird

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Born and raised in Sicily, M.L. spent most of his early life inventing stories and believing he could live in them.

In high school, he spent way too much time watching B movies, playing video games, and reading everything he could get his hands on, provided it wasn’t recommended by any authority figure.

M.L. spent most of his college years and adult life writing in languages only machines can understand until he decided to put some of his stories on the page.

After a few years spent in Scotland, now M.L. lives in Seattle with his wife, his cat, and a large assortment of books. When not writing, he still enjoys playing video games and explaining board game rules to his friends.

You can follow M.L. on: https://mylittleblackbird.com.

M.L. also writes as Sebastiano Merlino.

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
9 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jen Hammel
4.0 out of 5 stars Character driven dark fantasy done well
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
If you like atmospheric reads with some dark magic, immortals, mystery, a large cast of characters, and setups where an eccentric, mysterious, and powerful man invites a group of strangers to an isolated setting, this is a book for you.

“This reality is nothing but an agreement between the parts that compose it.”

I loved that there were snippets from the past interwoven in the story, leaving you with more questions than answers in the beginning. I personally really like that style of book.

One thing that didn’t quite click with me was the magic system. The explanations were very conceptual, cerebral, and very much so ‘higher plane’ ‘imagine the threads of reality in your mind’, which I thought was really cool but I got a little lost in the explanations.

“Let me tell you, there is hope in your quest for knowledge. With eternity in front of you, you will have the time to discover every secret this world offers.”

As the characters were introduced, I really enjoyed most of them and wondering how they would all fit together, but once together, some characters really faded to the background. This is probably due to the length of the book, it’s not super long and a LOT happens in it.

Something I think this book does really well is explore what it would be like for immortals to live so long. We see snippets of their lives throughout history and hear about the psychological effects of living forever and what you have to give up in return. Additionally, how power can change you.

“Ah, beautiful creature, you have nothing left but your hope. But the Lord of Death will take that away.”

I wasn’t sure where it was going in the middle but by the end it really sold me. There’s still things I don’t understand, but I think that this book has amazing re-read potential.

This book is really unique so it’s kind of hard to compare it to other things, but if I had to, maybe I would describe this as Middlegame meets Furyborn.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Blackbird LLC for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tabatha Shipley
2.0 out of 5 stars For me this one needed tightening to bring it all together.
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2022
What I Didn’t Like:
-Too many characters are introduced too quickly. I got confused early and never fully sorted out who was who, honestly.
-Not horror. Horror familiar characters but not horror. I actually think if you go into this expecting high fantasy you’ll enjoy it better.
-The audiobook narrator attempts different voices. Many of them are delivered in a sort of stage whisper, making it very difficult to get the volume right on your audiobook. This didn’t affect my review, but it’s worth noting.

What I Did Like:
-Interesting premise. A bunch of immortals are invited to an event without really knowing why sounds like a fascinating version of Clue.
-Cover is beautiful.

Who Should Read This One:
-Readers who follow complicated storylines and large casts may enjoy this one more than I did.

My Rating: 2 Stars
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Intricate and bizarre
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
This one is a hell of a book. Multi-layered and nuanced, it kept me on my toes and I lost my footing a couple of times. It is grotesque, violent, bizarre.
I liked author's style and the fragmented feeling of narration, especially in the beginning. The bits in the middle were to drawn out and the book felt too long for its own good, though.
Perhaps, I found some elements of the story overly complicated but that is how the writer rolls, and you gotta respect that. There is a lot going on, many threads intertwining, and I am not sure that readers would get definitive answers to all their questions.
But maybe that will be this book's magic - letting readers figure things out.

It was an interesting read. Not without flaws but compelling nonetheless. I hope, this book will attract a wider audience and will give a good recognition to its autor.
Report